The Realtor® Voice Is Loudest at the Polls BY BRUCE SHAPIRO
T
his November, voters in New Jersey and across the country will go to the polls to make their voices heard and cast their ballots for numerous elected offices. From the President of the United States to local mayors and town councils, there’s a myriad of critical positions up for election this November. In New Jersey, all 12 members of the House of Representatives and one of our two United States Senators will stand for election. There are also two special elections for the State Legislature in the 25th district, one of the State Senate and one for the General Assembly (the 25th District covers portions of Morris and Somerset counties). In addition, many county and local elections will also be held across the Garden State for offices ranging from county freeholders, mayors, town councils and local boards of education officials. New Jersey will also have two statewide ballot questions concerning whether to extend the property tax deduction and exemption to peacetime veterans and whether to legalize marijuana.
Now is the time to have your voices heard! The first step is to make sure you are registered to vote. At the beginning of 2020, just over 89 percent of New Jersey Realtors® were registered to vote. While this number is good, there are still nearly 6,000 Realtors® in New Jersey who were not registered. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 13, 2020, which is 21 days prior to the general election. Registering is easy: you can search to see if you
RPAC OF NEW JERSEY
are already registered and if not, can find a registration application on the New Jersey Division of Elections website at nj.gov/state/elections/. The winners of this November’s elections at all levels of government will be considering many issues of vital importance to our industry. From the National Flood Insurance Program and the State and Local Tax Deduction at the federal level to taxes affecting the real estate industry and time-of-sale requirements in New Jersey—the candidates who are elected will have a tremendous say on issues affecting real estate, homeownership and private property rights for years to come. In the last federal elections two years ago, only 65 percent of New Jersey Realtors® voted in the 2018 elections, meaning over 18,000 New Jersey Realtors® did not have a say in voting for the officials who made the decisions on issues affecting their livelihood. New Jersey Realtors® have a tremendous presence in advocating on behalf of the real estate industry, homeownership and private property rights because of the strength of our voice. Let’s make sure our voice is heard where it counts most, at the polling booth in the November 3rd elections. When Realtors® vote, we make our voices are heard in electing those who will consider the countless issues affecting the real estate profession at all levels of government.
$900,000
8 | NEW JERSEY REALTOR® | July/August 2020
[$ 396,434.21] as of June 11, 2020.
